Most Fortunate Calamities
by Skooter
Summary: Oliver comes back to Hogwarts to scout for his new Quidditch team, Puddlemere United. What he doesn't realize is that a certain chaser could cause more than trouble for his carefully planned life. From getting stuck in a broom closet to flying in the rain
1. Most Fortunate Calamities Chapter 1

Okay, so here is another re-write. I'm working on both this one and Vivo Locco as well. My writing has matured quite a bit, so I'm sure you'll like this much better. Enjoy! Please Review!

-Skoot.

MOST FORTUNATE CALAMITIES

It was a dreary day outside, Katie thought as she looked out her dorm window to the grounds below. The sky was dark with murderous, gray clouds and the wind was beginning to pick up. Her gaze traveled across the gloomy landscape to the Quidditch pitch and the service buildings nearby. What she wouldn't give to be out there now, to feel the wind in her hair and the little droplets of rain on her face. That was the feeling she had always craved, the carefree freedom to do as she please. Unable to resist the temptation, she pulled on her worn practice uniform and grabbed a heavy black case from under her bed.

Opening the durable case, Katie gazed at the beautiful sight before her. The blue on the handle stood out clearly against the maroon colored comforter, making her sigh. A bluebottle. She had waited for so long to get a new broom. She was almost afraid to touch it, fearing that it might disappear and prove her hopes wrong. Timidly, she set her fingers on the tip of the handle. It was all hers. No one could take it from her now. After admiring it for a long while, she smiled and lifted the broom firmly. It felt so good in her hands. She couldn't wait to try it out. She grabbed her tennis shoes and her new broom, as she headed towards the door and raced to the Quidditch Pitch.

As she breathed in the fresh air, she mounted the broom, pushing off into the middle of the grassy arena. She circled around the pitch once, and then flew higher into the sky. She was made to do this, remembered that it was all she ever wanted to do, as she plummeted back towards the earth, pulling up before the broom handle could hit the ground. Quidditch was second nature to Katie, and she felt so much more alive when she was in the air. Practicing a few new moves, Katie glided through the air towards the goal posts and quickly flipped back around to the other set across the field. The rain splattered hard against her cheeks, but she didn't care. She felt so alive, so free to do anything she wanted.

"Katie!" She almost missed the faint yell from across the pitch, but as gaze found the familiar form next to the goal post, she knew she had be discovered too soon. The blue bottle hummed as she steered it closer to the ground, then went silent as she hit the ground and pulled it out from underneath her. She hadn't seen him in a while, but it was a sight that she welcomed time after time.

"I thought I told you not to practice in this kind of weather. It's too dangerous." Oliver frowned at her, as he met her in the middle of the pitch.

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks, Dad." she said, using the nickname that she knew he hated with a passion. Oliver had always been a little too overprotective of her, making her feel caged-in at times. With her brows scrunched together, she turned away from him and headed to the lockers. Even now that he was scouting for Puddlemere, he still had a habit of regressing to his time as her team captain.

"You'd better listen to me, Katie. I'm not your father, but I am the captain of this team." Oliver grabbed her arm and spun her around and looked her straight in the eye.

"If you pull another stunt like this, you're on the bench for the season. Got it?" Katie could feel an angry fire flow through her body and wrenched her arm from his grasp.

"Yeah, Dad." She repeated, sarcasm dripping from her voice like the rain dripping from her hair. Her mood was beginning to resemble the weather, which had taken a turn for the worse. Rain pounded down around them, making Katie shiver. They were both soaked now, and the way Oliver was looking at her seemed to amplify the coolness in the air.

"Let's get dried off, I don't want you to get sick." He grabbed her arm again and pulled her towards the lockers. Katie tried to resist at first, but Oliver was much stronger than she was and pulled her along behind him. When they entered the small building, Oliver pried the bluebottle from Katie's clammy hand and examined it.

"I didn't know that you'd gotten a new broom." Water dripped from his hair onto the blue handle of the broom, as he looked closer at the object. Katie tried to ignore him and headed for her personal locker; she usually kept a spare set of clothes in there, for emergencies.

"This is a great broom. The aerodynamics are impeccable, the handle is hand-carved, and well… this is just gorgeous." The admiration in his voice shocked her system, and she turned to look at him. He glanced up and caught her eye.

"Now, I know why you were out there. I wouldn't be able to resist either." Oliver stepped towards her and offered the broom back to her. "She suits you." Eyes met each other and locked, causing Katie to shiver again.

"Uh, maybe we should head back to the castle. People will be looking for us." She tore her eyes away from his and turned to her locker, placing her broom in the small handle she had fashioned to hold it in place.

"I'm not going to risk getting sick trying to make it back there. We're staying here until the storm lets up." There was no question in his voice, only the strong, rock solid authority. He headed over to the locker he had convinced McGonnagal to let him use and opened it with ease; pulled out two sets of Puddlemere workout uniforms and handed one to her.

"Here. These will keep you warmer." Nodding towards the tank top and shorts in her other hand, he forced her to take them.

Grateful that she didn't have to wear her skimpy shower clothes, she took the proffered garments and thanked him. Before she could turn around, though, Oliver took off his shirt. Shocked, Katie dropped the clothes he had just handed her to the bench and her eyes just about popped out of her head. A blush covered her cheeks and she turned away quickly.

"You could have warned me you were going to take your clothes off." She closed her eyes and turned her head toward the ceiling, taking a deep breath. The image of Oliver's chest was burned into her mind, now, and she felt her cheeks flame a little more.

"You've seen me without my shirt before." Was the only reply he offered. Katie had to admit that it was true; she had seen him, shirtless, practicing with the rest of the guys. The girls had giggled and sighed over them, but that had been almost two years ago. A hand fell on her shoulder, and she opened her eyes just a slit and turned her head toward it.

"You can turn around, now. I'm decent." Katie turned around, relieved to see Oliver in the white t-shirt of their practice uniform. Before she could say anything, he turned bright red and looked down. She cocked her head to the side and frowned at him.

"What's wrong?" The reason for his embarrassment unknown to her. She glanced down at the soaked shirt that was still clinging to her skin and nearly lost her lunch. The shirt was plastered to her body, with nothing left for the imagination, seeing as she had been in too much of a hurry to put on a bra. Picking up the dry uniform, she held it to her chest and turned away from him. Great, she thought to herself, now they had seen each other's naked chests. Wanting to crawl into her locker and die, she nearly crumbled to the floor, but her pride kept her upright. With as much dignity as possible, she kept her back to him and changed her shirt.

"Don't look, please. I'm going to change my trousers." Her voice was quiet, but she knew that he had heard her. She heard some rustling behind her and figured that Oliver was doing the same. She disposed of her wet workout pants as quickly as she could and pulled on the dry, baggy pair that Oliver had given her.

As she pulled them over her waist, a boom of thunder shook the ground, causing Katie to shriek and fall over the bench behind her. The hard wood of the bench hit her knees, and she was sure that she was going to hit her head on the tiled floor, instead it collided with the hard muscle of Oliver's body. Attempting to save her, Oliver had grabbed for her body and lost his balance. They both fell to the floor in a tangle of legs and arms; Katie attempting to get away from Oliver and Oliver trying to keep his hold on Katie.

"Hold still, damn it." His steel arms clamped around Katie's middle and held her still. Her struggles were causing sensations to shoot through his body, and he was afraid if he didn't let go of her soon, they were both going to be embarrassed again. The moment Katie stopped moving, Oliver pushed her away from him. Another pulse of thunder vibrated through the ground, and Katie jumped back into his arms.

With her arms wrapped around his waist as tight as she could, and her face buried in his chest, Oliver struggled to get into a sitting position. When he finally completed his task, Katie was laying between his legs, with the upper half of her body still plastered to his. His face was flaming, and he was sure that she had to be able to feel his arousal. Trying to pull away, Oliver made half-efforts to calm her down; patting her back, squeezing her arms, speaking to her in a quiet voice. Nothing worked.

"Katie?" he made sure his voice was light, but even he could hear the strain in it. His answer was muffled, but after a few moments, Katie pulled her face away from his warmth and looked up at him.

"Yes, Oliver?" Her voice was scratchy and he could she the fear in her eyes.

"Are you afraid of the thunder?" A small nod was the only thing that Katie could manage, before the tyrant thunder sounded again. Her face went back into his chest, and Oliver shifted himself to lean back against the lockers.

A sigh escaped him, and he did the only thing he could think of that might comfort her: held her tight and whispered, "Don't worry, Katie. I'll protect you."


	2. Most Fortunate Calamities Chapter 2

Okay, so just a side note, I've decided that Katie is the same age as Fred, George, Alicia, and Angelina in this fic. Just in case you didn't catch on. Please review! It helps a ton!!!

Katie grimaced as she opened her eyes, the bright sun shining through the windows above the lockers hurt her eyes. She glanced around the room, trying to place where she was. The lockers. Why was she there? When she attempted to move, a heavy weight held her still. She looked down to find that two arms were wrapped around her middle and she was lying on a hard, muscled body. Her eyes traveled up the white clad body, to the tan face looking down at her. Oliver's smile was bright, and her eyes widened at the sight of his sleep-rumpled hair.

"Good morning." His eyes glittered with amusement, and he ran his fingers through his hair. Pushing herself up into a sitting position, Katie ran a nervous hand over her face and looked around once again, then back at Oliver. Remembering everything that had happened last night, Katie blushed and pushed away from Oliver again.

"Go--good morning." she replied. Her voice was scratchy, and she was suddenly very self conscious; she was wearing Oliver's baggy shirt and pants and her hair was going in every direction but down. "We---uh we should get back to the castle." Standing on shaky legs, Katie gathered her things together and headed for the door. Oliver stopped her before she could open it, grabbing her arm and pulling her back to him.

"What's the matter, Katie?" he couldn't help but tease her, "You weren't so shy last night." He smiled at her and pulled her a little closer to him. He didn't know what made him do it, but he leaned down, until his lips were inches from hers.

"In fact you seemed very eager to get into my arms." He winked at her shocked expression and then let her go, heading towards the door. Katie watched him open the large metal door and turn back to her.

"Are you coming?" His eyebrows were raised and a small smile played at his mouth. The small shock that ran through Katie pushed her into action. Walking towards the door, she tried to act as if nothing were out of the normal routine and smiled at Oliver.

The trip up to the castle seemed to take forever, as Katie walked with Oliver. The pitch wasn't that far from the castle, but today it seemed like a million miles away. Her knuckles tightened on the handle of her broom, and she picked up her pace. When they reached the large, wooden doors of the castle, Katie felt relief wash over her and stepped inside. The feeling didn't stay with her long, though, as she walked into Angelina.

"Ooof. Katie." The tall black girl pushed away from her and looked at her, then over at Oliver. "Oliver. Where have you two been? I had to whole team out looking for you two last night." A guilty look flashed across Oliver's face, but he just smiled and patted Angelina on the back.

"We got stuck out in that storm last night, figured it was better to take shelter than to catch a cold. That's all. Thanks for worrying about us, though." Deciding to take the long route to the tower, Oliver grabbed Katie's hand and once again towed her along behind him.

"Oliver! What are you doing?" She tried to stop, but once again Oliver's strength won. Another word wasn't uttered until they reached Gryffindor Tower.

"Alexander Graham Bell." Oliver and Katie said the password together, so forcefully that the fat lady simply swung open muttering about the audacity of the pair. He pulled Katie into the great room, which was vacant for the moment. Katie had had enough. She stopped, not worrying about if she fell or not.

"Oliver. Let go of my hand. Now." Her voice was shaking with anger, and her eyes had sparks of fire shooting through them. Oliver turned to look at her and merely smiled. He tugged her towards the couch by the fireplace and forced her to sit.

"Listen. I want you down at the Quidditch pitch after classes today. We're going to practice, okay? You want to try out that new broom so bad, well, then you're going to have to do it with me. Got it?" Katie had to struggle to control her breathing, as she glared at Oliver. If looks could kill, Oliver would have been six feet under several times over.

"Don't tell me what to do, Oliver. I'll be there because I want to be, not because you tell me to." Standing, she walked towards him and poked him in the chest. The chest that she had been more than willing to dream about last night, she reminded herself. Well, no more. Oliver Wood was not her type, nor would he ever be. He was stubborn, rude, bossy, and more than enough to drive her mind crazy.

Stalking out of the common room and up the stairs to her room, she felt little relief as she slammed her door shut. The sun was bright in the dorm, as Katie stalked over to her bed. The curtains had been drawn back and the bed was made, proof that the house elves were hard at work. Her room mates had already gone to breakfast, so she hurried to change her clothes and get some food.

When she cut through the common room, no one was there, thank goodness. She didn't think that she could handle Oliver again today; she might say something she'd regret. She raced down the corridors of the castle, trying to make it to the Great Hall before the food disappeared. When she sat down at the end of the table with the rest of the Quidditch team, they all turned to stare at her.

"Well, if it isn't little Katie-Kat." Fred's smug grin was identical to the one plastered on his twin's face, and Katie bristled at the nick name they had given her their first year on the team together.

"And where exactly was the kitten last night, I wonder. Maybe we should ask Wood." George asked the question that was on everyone else's mind. Katie blushed and piled some food on her plate.

"That's none of your business, but we got stuck out in the storm last night, if you must know." Oliver piped in from the other end of the group, as he walked past. Seeing the worry on Katie's face, he sat down next to her.

"Stuck where, exactly, Woodie?" The twins grins turned into sneers, as their sexual pun hit home. Katie felt her anger return, as she glared at the twins.

"What was that suppose to mean, Fred?"

"Well, I've never heard of a bloke getting stuck when he put it---" Before Fred could finish, Oliver cut him off.

"That's enough, _boys._" His voice was rock solid and angry. The twins simply smiled at him and then at Katie. She felt the tension thicken as George opened his mouth to say something. The rest of the table fell silent and watched the scene unravel.

"Fred. George. We've been friends for how long, now?" Her voice shook as she watched the twins glance at each other in confusion.

"Well, for forever. You're like," Fred started to answer her question and George finished it.

"Our sister. Which is why we want to know Mr. Wood's intentions towards you." They both smiled at Oliver, who had finished eating.

"If you would rather not eat your dangly bits for breakfast, you'll stop. Now." Katie's voice had dropped down low, causing the twins to glance at her in apprehension. She stood up and shook her fist at them. "Sister or not, I would and I could." With those words, she left the table with two wide-eyed Weasleys watching her exit.

Fuming, she walked quickly down the hall, many shocked stares following her crusade down the hall way. She heard footsteps following her flight, but she didn't care. The stairs were followed by long corridors, which were followed by more stairs, and another corridor, until someone grabbed her arm. Turning, she would have taken her pursuer's head off, but she had known who it was. Oliver. Only Oliver would take her arm, would even dare to touch her, when she was fuming mad.

"What?" The word came out harsh, and she had to work to control her breathing.

"Calm down. The twins didn't mean any of it-- they just like to harass me about certain things." Her jaw was clenched, and she took a few deep breaths.

"I know, but they really-- they really just knock me off my rocker sometimes, okay?" She glanced around and realized that they were in the Astronomy Tower. Stepping away from Oliver, she wrapped her arms around herself and sat down near the open window.

"The truth is-- and they know it-- is that I've never been, well, in a relationship. Of any kind." Oliver glanced at her and raised an eyebrow.

"And that's suppose to mean?" He sat down next to her, knowing that whatever she was thinking about was going to shock him.

Katie sighed and drew her knees to her chest before going on, "Oliver, I've never even been kissed. What they said back there, well. They knew it couldn't be true, but they said it anyways." Oliver leaned against the wall and studied the small, athletic woman in front of him. It was a shock to his system to realize that Katie, his star chaser and one of his friends for years, was beautiful. He had never taken the time to see her that way, until the other night in the lockers. The possibility of kissing her entered his mind, but he pushed it aside. Voices rising from the stairwell to the tower interrupted his thoughts, and he grabbed Katie's hand.

"Someone's coming." Listening to the voices for a second, they recognized both of them. Angelina and Alicia. Katie's eyes got big, and she almost panicked. Almost. Getting up as quickly as she could, she looked at Oliver.

"They can't see us together, they already think something happened last night-- We-- They--" Any coherent words left her and she bit her lip to keep from babbling. Oliver grabbed her hand and led her to a door across the room. He shoved her inside and then followed her in, shutting the door as the voices reached the room.

"She should be here. This is where she comes where she's angry. Colin said--" Alicia was saying as they entered the room.

Angelina's angry voice flowed through the door, warning them she was nearby, "Well, she's not here. If Fred and George would learn to keep their mouths shut-- I mean, they really are dense sometimes. Katie doesn't talk about her love life or her old crush on Oliver, and Oliver, well Oliver can be just as dense as the twins."

Katie's face was flaming as they listened to the conversation through the door, so she tried to turn away from him, but the small closet didn't allow for such a movement. Oliver wrapped his hands around her to hold her still and shushed her. The movement brought them closer together and Katie blushed even harder and her body tensed.

"Well, I'm sure she got over that crush. It was so hard to deal with, every time we had practice. She would blush and stammer, then mess up on the simplest moves when he was watching. Katie's definitely gotten over him. She barely sees him anymore-- except when we usually do."

Oliver felt Katie tense as they listened to her friend's conversation. He had never noticed it at them time, but what Alicia had said was true. What a dunce he was, to have never noticed Katie before, but now that he was stuffed into a broom closet with her snug against his body he had no choice but to notice her. Arousal coursed through him as she tried to shift away from him, but instead only ended up rubbing her full breasts against his chest. His fingers dug into her hips and she stopped moving immediately. Blood was thumping through his veins at a record speed, and he was having a hard time keeping his condition masked from Katie. Silence surrounded them, making Oliver much more aware of the woman in his arms.

"Oliver?" Katie's husky whisper brought a dozen images of her mouth on his, making him let out a little groan.

"I think they're gone. Are you okay?" Her concern flittered around him, and he had to fight the urge to drop his mouth to hers.

"Uh, yeah. I am. Let's get out of here. Can you reach around me to the door knob?" When her hand slipped around his waist, he stopped breathing, hoping this exquisite torture would end soon.

"Bloody Hell." Katie's soft curse was enough to make him worry.

"What is it?" His gruff voice did not sound happy as she brought her hand back around his waist with something in it.

Katie's sigh was almost inaudible, but he still caught it before she said, "Is there any way to open a door without a knob?" Oliver's mouth dropped open, when he realized what she was saying.

"Well, ah, do you have your wand?"

"It's in my boot." That meant that she would have bend over to get there, and there wasn't enough room to do that.

Oliver's throat constricted, causing him to choke on his words, "Well, is there any way you can get it?" With every movement Katie made, Oliver nearly died. Their bodies bumped and brushed, trying to figure a way out.

"Well," Katie blushed at the plan going through her head, "If you hold my leg up, I might be able to reach it."

"Okay, let's try it. Which one is it?" Oliver couldn't believe he was going to go along with this, but he had to do something to get out. Katie's leg inched up the side of his, making him take a deep breath. Telling himself to calm down didn't help, as Oliver slipped his hand around Katie's thigh and slide it up to his waist.

"Is-- is this high enough?" Oliver's voice was as gruff as sandpaper, making Katie shiver. His hand on her thigh tightened, reminding her of the situation and nodded.

"Katie?" The question fell off Oliver's lips before he could take it back, her silence making him more nervous. Katie took a deep breath before she answered his first question again, this time so he heard.

"Yeah, I think so. Just give me a second." She leaned forward against Oliver's body, making both of them take another deep breath. With their bodies plastered so close together, it was impossible for Katie not to feel Oliver's arousal, making her pause with embarrassment. As fast as possible, she reached down to pull her pant leg up, but it wouldn't budge.

"Oh God." Katie's groan sent shockwaves through Oliver's body, and he had to mentally slap himself to come back down to earth. "It's stuck." At the words, Oliver's body went rigid.

"It's what?"

Katie let out a large breath of air and steeled herself for what was to come.

"It's stuck, but I think you could get it loose if you tried. Pull my leg up a little higher," Katie grunted as Oliver yanked her leg up as high as it would go, freeing her leg, but also ripping a large slit in her trouser leg

"Ow. Hold on. You've ripped my trousers. Slow down." Her breath was becoming ragged and their new position forced them together even closer.

"Okay. Now what?" Oliver's voice was strained, making her aware of his state of being once again.

"Well, I think I can keep my leg up, if you want to grab the wand and pull it out." His hand moved down her leg slowly, causing her to whimper from the sensations that shot through her body.

"Are you alright?" When he felt her nod, he kept going down to the bottom of her trousers and found the hem. "Can you help me push this up just a little higher? I can't hold it and find the end of the wand." He was pushing the leg of her trousers up her leg, but didn't wait for her to answer when he found the top of her boot that was snug against her calf. Feeling around for the wand, his hand skimmed around her leg in search.

"No, to the left. The other left," Katie tried to direct him towards his goal, but it was getting harder and harder to concentrate with his hands all over her, causing her to sigh when he encountered the stick against her leg. "That's it, right there." Oliver sighed with relief and went to grab it, but was beneath the top of her boot, just out of his reach.

"It's too tight. I can't even get my fingers down in there." The groan that escaped from Katie summed up both of their feelings at the same time.

"Try harder. Just push harder." The desperation in her voice was what pushed him to try again. His fingers pressed down into the top of her boot, against her leg and down further to encounter the wand. He breathed a sigh of relief and pinched the end between his thumb and fore-finger and pulled the cursed object out of Katie's boot. Her sigh of relief was clearly audible when he let go of her leg and placed the stick into her hand.

"Oh, thank God." She pushed Oliver up closer to the door and felt for the lock. "If this doesn't work, I'm going to die. Alohomora." The door swung open easily, but Oliver had been caught off guard and fell backwards into the Astronomy Tower. Katie landed with a thud on top of Oliver, her face still red with a blush. She pushed herself off of him and stood up, only to find two pairs of angry blue eyes staring at her.

YAY! Review, please!


	3. Most Fortunate Calamities Chapter 3

Okay here's the next installment. I hope you like this one. It's a little different from the original story line, but I hope you like it. :D

Skoot.

Chapter 3

The sun was shining hot through the windows of the Astronomy Tower, but that wasn't what was making Katie sweat. Fred and George Weasley were looking at Oliver, like they had some devious plan to string him up from a goal post on the Quidditch field. George took Katie's arm and placed her behind him, shielding her from the oncoming fight.

"We thought you were better than this, Wood." He said, blocking Katie's view of Oliver. When Katie tried to step around him, George stopped her with a single step.

"You're too old for Katie, Wood." Fred warned him, making sure he got the underlying threat.

"I don't know what you think this is, boys, but nothing happened." Katie spoke to their backs and then successfully evaded their attempts to keep her there. She joined Oliver in front of them and crossed her arms in front of her, closing herself off from them.

"Oh, we know what it is, Katie-Kat. We heard everything. Getting a 'wand' stuck, having to lift your leg a little higher, something being so tight that Woodie couldn't even get his fingers in. We know exactly what happened." Fred's glare was icy, but a faint blush adorned his cheeks. The realization of what they thought hit Katie like a cannon ball in an open field. The light blush on her cheeks deepened to a deep tomato red and her hot temper returned once again.

"No. You don't. Get your mind out of the gutter and open your eyes, you ding-bat. If it weren't from your snide little remarks this morning, none of this would have happened." Anger caused her to throw caution to the wind and let everything out.

"I'm not your damn sister, so don't think that you have to protect me from the world. No," she stopped Fred from interrupting her little speech, "you've both been after me for forever to tell Oliver how much I like him, and now that it appears that he's shown a little interest in me you puff up like a couple of hamsters. Don't worry, though, Oliver is too dense to notice anything I might throw his way and twenty is not too old for me. Nothing has happened between us. So, just leave. me. alone." Her rant had shocked all three of her companions into silence, with stunned expressions on their faces.

Unable to face any of them, Katie stalked out of the room and down the staircase, muttering under her breath. Oliver stood shocked. He had heard Alicia mention a crush on him, but he hadn't known everyone but him had known about it; he really was dense. Looking up at the twins, he clenched his jaw, trying to hold back the need to take his anger out on them.

"Would you boys care to explain yourselves?" The captain in him was beginning to take over, trying to cover the anger that was flowing so freely through him.

"Well... we _were_ a bit rude to Katie this morning," Fred started, the guilt showing on his face.

George picked up where he left off, "and we felt bad. She _is_ like a sister to us. We wanted to make it better. She comes up here when she's mad or sad. We know that, so we thought to come up here." The twins both eyed Oliver in curiosity, and sly grins wandered across their faces.

"Would you care to explain what was going on in that closet, if it wasn't what we thought it was?" The twins said in unison. Oliver shook his head and ran a cold hand over his face. His anger was fading, making him realize a few things. The twins were just trying to protect their friend, Katie had had a crush on him, and now he was pretty sure he was getting one on her. He wanted to kick himself in the butt, but figured sooner or later someone else was going to end up doing it for him.

"No. It's none of your business. Don't forget practice starts next week, boys." Oliver made a hasty exit, making sure that neither of the twins followed him down to the corridor. Who knew where Katie would have headed now?

Realizing it was past his usual lunchtime, he decided to check the Great Hall. Luckily, there was still food on the table and Katie seated by herself at the middle of the table. He headed straight for her, dodging several eager first year Gryffindors.

"Mind if I join you?" He asked, but sat down before she could answer. Katie just watched as Oliver moved to sit beside her, her eyes large with surprise. The food in front of him smelled delicious, and he quickly loaded a plateful. They ate in silence, neither wanting to relive the embarrassing moments of the morning.

Katie finished her lunch faster than necessary, but she needed to get away from Oliver for a little while. She pushed her plate away and picked up her book bag, readying herself for her first class of the day.

"Don't forget our practice tonight, Katie." Her heart dropped at Oliver's reminder.

"Uh, right. I'll see you then." She said and then took off across the room to the closest exit. If she didn't know that Oliver would kick her off the team, she wouldn't go, but he would. There was no way to renig on their deal.

Heading down the brightly lit corridor, she let her mind wander. Alicia had not known it for some time, but Katie was anything but over her attraction to Oliver. It had begun her first year; she had tried out for the Quidditch team, with a recommendation from McGonnagal herself. The first time she had seen him, Oliver had been up in the air running through the paces with the would-be chasers. She had watched him until, with some prodding from Angelina, Katie had gotten up the nerve to get up in the air with him.

"Alright. Come at me." Were the first words he had said to her, so with a little bit of spite and courage, Katie had shown him what she was made of. She didn't make the line-up, but she'd been put on the reserve. The first year went by in a flash, with every practice Katie had begun to fantasize about the Gryffindor keeper. She watched as he dated the beautiful girls of Hogwarts, partied with the upper-crust, and was completely oblivious to her admiring glances.

Over the years, she had been put on the starting line-up with Alicia and Angelina, and they had become very close, so close that they now knew each other's secrets and thoughts. They had felt bad for her, knowing that Oliver would forever be so far from her reach, so she had told them she was over him and dated some. The affection she had felt for him faded, but only to a certain degree. She would always have that zing of affection every time she saw or thought of him.

Her advanced Charms class did nothing to take her mind away from the events of the day and Oliver, but she was able to push them aside when she entered the Transfiguration classroom. Transfiguration was something that she had excelled at, and it helped that McGonnagal was the teacher. Professor McGonnagal had always been her favorite; from the moment she had told Katie to try out for the Qudditch team, Katie had instantly admired the House Head. Pulling out her large book for class, Katie embraced the distraction.

Oliver paced across the Quidditch pitch, waiting for Katie to arrive. He had just watched the Hufflepuff team complete their first practice, they were hoping to get ahead of their opponents this year, and to his relief, he was able to put down two names for possible consideration. Being a scout for Puddlemere was more than it was cracked up to be; having to travel around to the schools, meet overeager parents, discuss contracts, and such. One of the main reasons he had taken this job was to see how the teams at Hogwarts had progressed. He missed his old school team something fierce and wanted badly to return for some reason or another.

The wind had slowed down to a light breeze, and the sun had stayed out for most of the day. His surroundings were quiet and still, making it seem like a different place than where he had been last night. No traces of the storm had been left behind for the wandering eye to find. Looking out over the horizon, he studied the castle, remembering the many memories he had made there.

While watching the castle he noticed that Katie was making her way down to the pitch. A sigh escaped his tired body. He hadn't expected her to come. Waiting for her had not been the easiest thing for Oliver to do, after watching the Hufflepuff team practice for nearly three hours, but as she got closer, Oliver's heart got lighter.

"Hi." Was all she said before she mounted up and pushed off, waiting for him to toss her the quaffle. As they prepared to run through some of the basic drills, Oliver couldn't help but notice that she had worn the same set of workout clothes as she had last night. The thought of seeing her in that wet t-shirt caused him to become uncomfortable on his broom. He stopped and waited for Katie to round the pitch and head back to him.

With her new broom under her, Katie's hair blew away from her face as she sped through the air. The feeling of freedom was back, just as it came every time she mounted up. With the quaffle in one hand and the other guiding her broom, she made a zig-zag path through the air towards the goal. As she made progress, her movements became faster and shorter, but Oliver followed her with a watchful eye. The last cross back, she threw the quaffle towards the goal with a swift movement of her right arm. Oliver's hand shot out from his body and caught the red ball in his left hand.

He smiled at Katie then simply said, "Again." They went back and forth for hours, with Katie gaining more goals than not. The Bluebottle hummed along with her movements, cutting through the air like scissors in silk. When Katie scored her 50th goal of the night, she circled Oliver and the goals and then raised her hands in triumph.

"Wooo! Yeah!" Her smile was bright and happy in the setting sun, causing Oliver to study her deeply. She had never seemed so appealing, so carefree, and so beautiful before. Before he could stop himself, he headed towards her.

"Let's see what else that bad boy can do." His Firebolt rocketed past her and around the stadium. Up for the challenge, Katie pressed herself down close to the blue handle and sped after him. Oliver set a tough course, but she was able to follow him through the tight spaces, across the lake, and back over the Quidditch Pitch with less than a meter between them.

They hit the ground running, making Katie laugh with glee. She had never had so much fun in her life. Dropping to the ground, out of breath, she stretched out on the green grass. Surprised, Oliver laid down beside her and stared up at the sky.

"Look," she said, pointing to a small light in the sky, "the first star of the night. Make a wish." She smiled and turned her head to look at him. His eyes were focused on the star above them, a small smile playing on his lips, then he tipped his head to the side and looked at her.

"Done. Would you like to help me make it come true?" His smile was brilliant, making Katie daydream again.

"Of course." His smile disappeared, and he searched her eyes.

"You're sure?" He said, rolling over onto his side and propped his head on his hand. His position put butterflies in her stomach, making her realize that he was much closer that she had thought. When she nodded he placed his free arm over her stomach and leaned over her. Slowly, his head descended towards hers until their lips touched.


	4. Most Fortunate Calamities Chapter 4

Wow... Lots of story updates lately. I'll try to keep it up. Semester has started once again, so it might be a little slow, but it's going to keep coming! I promise! This one is pretty good, so happy reading! Review please, any help with my writing would be great. :D

With his lips pressed tightly against hers, Oliver closed his eyes and tried to help Katie relax. His hand rested just below her ribcage, with only the thin cotton material between their skin. The thought made him groan, and he tried to deepen the kiss.

Katie didn't know what to do, she had never been kissed before. Feelings overwhelmed her; sensual arousal from Oliver's lips, shock from his previous statement, and panic from his body covering hers, making her stiff as a board. She wasn't ready for this, she knew that many girls her age had already been kissed—and done more, but _she_ wasn't ready. Her hands tunneled between their bodies, resting on Oliver's chest.

He knew something was wrong. Not only was Katie not kissing him back, but she was as stiff as a board. Cursing himself for moving too fast, Oliver pulled away from her before she could push him away.

"What is it? What's the matter?" He looked into her eyes, looking for the answer she was trying to hide.

"It's nothing. I just… I don't know. It's too much right now." Tears threatened to cascade from her eyes, but she held them back. She had never cried in front of Oliver, even when a stray bludger had knocked her from her broom one practice, and she was not going to start now. Confusion marred Oliver's broad forehead, making guilt stream through her.

"You said you were ready." The accusation burst from his mouth, causing the guilt to turn to anger. In a fit of rage, she pushed him the rest of the way off her and shrieked.

"I didn't know what you were asking of me. You should have come right out and said it!" Striking out blind, Katie went for the lowest blow, "'Hey, Katie,'" she said in a false masculine voice, "'I need a good shagging tonight, would you do the honors?' Well, if that's all you after, Mr. Wood, the answer is, and always will be, no." Her face was bright red from her conniption fit, as she struggled to her feet. Grabbing her broom, she fled the scene, with Oliver close on her tail.

"Wait, Katie." When she didn't stop, he grabbed her arm and pulled her back towards him. "I wasn't trying to have sex with you. If you would pull your head out of your arse for five minutes, you would have realized that. I like you, Katie." He said, his hands latching onto her upper arms and giving her a good shake. "Not just as a friend. If you had a brain in that pretty little head of yours, you would have noticed it by now."

"I— I—" Katie had a problem forming any more words, the tears were back in her eyes and little trickles were escaping from the corners. When she was finally able to answer, her voice was barely above a whisper, "I'm just not ready for something more. I thought I was, but I'm not." The fear in her eyes showed through the tears, making Oliver release her. Katie seized the opportunity for escape and fled from him once again, as Oliver stood and watched.

He stayed on the field until the last of the sunlight had fled the sky and more stars began to show up. Cursing himself a million times over, he made another wish before heading back to the castle. When he finally left the field, it was past dinner time, but that didn't matter, for he had lost his appetite. Instead of heading to the Owlry, so he could send off his correspondence with his manager, he headed for the small room in the south tower that he was staying in.

Katie successfully avoided Oliver for the rest of the week, and it hadn't a hard goal to complete, since they both had completely different schedules and plenty to keep them busy. And Oliver had never chosen to seek her out, and part of her breathed in relief at the thought, but the other part was disheartened that he wouldn't try to change her mind. She didn't know why she even worried about it; she wasn't ready for—well, she wasn't quite sure what she wasn't ready for. Maybe that was her problem; she didn't know what she did and didn't want.

She had dreamt about kissing Oliver for some time, but when his lips had touched hers, she had gone off the deep end. Reality had not panned out like her dreams. In her dreams, Oliver had taken her in his arms, declared his love for her, and kissed her passionately. In her dreams, they would get married as soon as she graduated and live happily ever after. Dreams, she thought, were for fools.

Katie let her feet drag along the pathway from the greenhouses. The first Qudditch practice was scheduled for today, and she knew that Oliver would be there. The thought sent the butterflies fluttering in her stomach, and made her slow her pace a little more.

She hadn't believed him when he told her he wanted to be more than friends, for no one had ever wanted more than that from her. Her own father had worried that she would never marry and have children, so it was natural for her to believe it herself. No one had ever said she was more than 'just one of the boys'. Fred and George had stated it perfectly when they said she was almost their sister, and Katie had begun to resent that statement.

But Oliver had said that he liked her above the friendship level. Well, she thought, why shouldn't he? She was strong, independent, and, as Oliver had put it so eloquently, she had a pretty little head. The thought made Katie stand a little taller and a smile to form on her lips. Her steps became longer and faster, as she neared the Gryffindor tower.

"Well, now, someone's got the spring back in their step." Alicia said, when Katie entered their dorm. The smile never left Katie's face as she hurried to get ready for their practice. Dressed in record time, she gathered her broom, goggles, and body pads and headed for the door.

"Come on, you slowpoke!" She yelled back at Alicia. "We won't make it to practice until next week, if you keep up this pace." Alicia rolled her eyes, but grabbed the rest of her gear and followed Katie out the door. They meandered through the castle, waving and smiling to people as they passed through the many corridors, until they were finally outside.

"Isn't a beautiful day?" Katie said, with her arms stretched wide, her face raised towards the beaming sun, and her eyes closed.

"Okay, now I know something is up. You've been grumpy for almost a week now, even told me you didn't feel up to practicing this morning. Has Wood finally kissed you?" Alicia guessed, watching a million different emotions cross her friend's face.

"No! I've just realized how great life is." Katie was grateful that they had reached the pitch, so she could evade her friend's question. She headed to the lowest row of bleachers, where Oliver was seated. He was a sight for sore eyes, and Katie definitely had some sore eyes. Giving him her best smile, she climbed up the few steps and sat next to him. The bewildered look on his face didn't disappear, but intensified.

"I'd like to talk to you later, if you don't mind." She studied his face and sighed when he smiled.

"Sure. Puddlemere would be a great option for you, once you graduate. I'll be happy to talk to you about the possibility of joining the team." The smile had faded a bit, as it had never been a true, happy smile. Something inside of Katie snapped, making her lash out at him.

"Listen, you bone-head. If you have any brains in that pretty little head of yours," she turned his words back on him, "you'll realize that wasn't what I wanted to talk about." Leaving that remark behind, she jumped down the steps, her earlier grumpy mood returning. Men. If they weren't looking for one thing, they were jumping for the next. Katie sighed. Maybe he had changed his mind about her; maybe she was just one of the boys. The thought stayed with her as she mounted her broom and flew up through the air behind the rest of the team.

She tried to get lost in the practice, but the usual feeling of freedom was not with her today. Her mind was weighted down by thoughts of Oliver. Out of habit, she caught the quaffle, flew quickly and efficiently through the air and threw it easily through the hoop. She only paused when Angelina stopped to lecture Ron Weasley, their keeper and the twin's younger brother, about moving sideways with the broom. When the drills resumed, Katie headed back to the other end of the pitch.

"Okay," Angelina said, drawing everyone's attention, "We're going to throw the bludgers in now. Fred, George, just make sure you aim them straight. Great. Let's go." A whistle blew and Alicia was off, the quaffle in hand. Katie followed along behind her, ready for the catch she knew was coming. They ran through the drills, with the three Chasers switching spots every round.

On the last round, Katie was in the front, with Angelina close behind, ready to make the catch and send it through the hoop, but as Katie looked back and raised her arm to make the toss her eye caught a glance of Oliver, who was watching her with a very curious glare. Something was wrong, she sensed it even though he was half a field away from her. Their gaze connected, and Katie felt her arm drop a little. She couldn't take her eyes from him even if she really tried, he was so far out of her reach now that she couldn't help the tears that came to her eyes.

"Katie! Look out!" Ron yelled across the pitch. They were getting closer now, and she knew she had to get rid of the bright red ball. She threw the ball to Angelina, whose eyes were bugging out at something behind her, so naturally Katie turned around to take a look. A brown, ugly bludger connected with her face, knocking her off her broom. Unconscious, her body plummeted to the ground.

Before the ball hit Katie's head, Oliver was half way across the field. His feet carried him as fast as they could, but he was still half the field away when Katie's body hit the ground.

"Katie!" He yelled, trying to pick up the pace. When he reached her body, several team members were already surrounding her body. Pushing his way through the small crowd, he dropped down beside her. He reached out to touch her face, but was stopped.

"Don't move her." Angelina was on the opposite side of Katie's body, feeling for any broken bones. Blood was splattered across her cheek, obviously from the broken nose Katie was sporting. Oliver carefully placed his hand on Katie's forehead. Her face was pale—too pale.

"I don't feel any broken bones—she might have cracked some ribs, but I'm not sure. We need to get her up to Madam Promfrey." Angie's face was contorted with worry and fear. Oliver felt the same emotions running through him.

His hand drifted down to her blood stained cheek, and he leaned in close. "Katie—" he asked her, a tremor obvious in his voice, "Katie, can you hear me?"

She let out a small groan and her eye lids fluttered, opening to a slit.

"Wha—?" Katie's voice was light and scratchy, making Oliver instantly worried. When she tried to sit up, his patiently pushed her back down.

"Don't move, Kat." His hand grazed her head again, while her eyes swam around in her head, searching the worried faces above her.

"I'm fine. Let me up, please." When he didn't let her up, Katie glared at him. "Oliver, I'm fine. Please." The overwhelming feeling of panic was beginning to set in. He must have sensed something, so he helped her sit up slowly. When her head was completely upright, the excess blood from her broken nose rushed out her nostrils, causing her to become instantly lightheaded. Oliver caught her head when it fell to the side and her eyelids fluttered shut.

"Okay, you're laying back down" When Katie tried to stay upright, Oliver swore and pushed harder.

"I'm fine, Dad," she said, using the team's old nickname for him, as she pushed his hands away. She ended up laying back down, once again subject to the faces crowded around. She reached up to run a hand over her sweat-soaked face and encountered blood. Her eyes widened, and she swore. Oliver became worried when Katie's face turned whiter than a sheet.

Alicia, who had come up behind him, placed a hand on his shoulder to get his attention.

"Oliver, I think we have a solution." He turned around to face her and found Fred and George standing behind her, hope written on their faces.

Fred piped in first, "We've developed a new product. It's a pill—half of it causes vomiting, headaches, or nosebleeds, while the other half stops the problem." His smiled turned up a watt as everyone caught on.

"So, the solution is that we give her the half that stops her nosebleed." George took out a box of pills and handed it to Fred. He opened it and pulled out a large pink pill and broke it in half.

"Here," Fred said, handing one half to Oliver, who looked at Katie's pale face. She nodded and opened her mouth, but Oliver stopped her.

"What if it's the wrong half?" He glanced back at the twins, doubt in his eyes. Katie gave a half-laugh and spoke.

"I don't think it can get much worse than it already is." She grabbed his hand, pried the pill out, and put it to her mouth, swallowing quickly. Immediately, blood trickled out of her nose.

"Give me the other half! Now!" Oliver panicked when Katie's eyes closed. Fred fumbled with the other half of the pill, as Oliver reached for it. He caught it in midair and shoved it towards Katie's mouth.

"Here—swallow it, Katie, please." He pleaded, relieved when Katie's mouth opened and she swallowed the pill, coughing up blood after the pill went down. Her eyes closed when Oliver picked her up and carried her off the field, not listening to the team's protests.


	5. Most Fortunate Calamities Chapter 5

Oliver paced the small, narrow space between the beds in the Infirmatory. Katie lay on the bed next to him, not stirring at all. He stared at her, walking towards her, then turned away. Fear was just beginning to leave his body, even after Madam Promfrey, who had treated all of his own injuries, had told him the injury wasn't all that serious. Nerves were getting to him, making him pick up his pace next to the bed.

"Can't you give her something to wake her up?" Oliver asked the nurse when she came in to check on her patients.

"I'm surprised you haven't woke her up already, with all that pacing." The older woman shot back, eyeing him curiously.

"I need to talk to her." He sat down, giving his legs a break.

"I told you, not that you don't already know, that with head injuries, it's best to let them wake up naturally. That way, we know if the injury is serious or not." She patted his shoulder in sympathy, causing him to jump up and start pacing again. He watched Katie sleep peacefully, then turned to watch the unchanging wall across the room. Though his thoughts were running rampant in his head, one thing he knew for sure: that Katie had become important to him. And what had been the last thing he'd said to her? He'd been an ass, trying to keep his ego intact. Well, if she ever woke up—no _when_ she woke up—she was going to know how much she meant to him.

"Would you slow down?" A small voice asked from behind him. He spun around to find Katie smiling at him. "You're making me dizzy." Relieved, he smiled at her and walked to her side. Her head had been propped up under several fluffy pillows and the blood had been scrubbed from her face.

"How are you feeling?" His hand found hers, and he felt the warmth returning.

"Surprisingly well, for having fallen off my broom." She joked, trying to make him smile again.

"Let me go get Promfrey. She'll check and make sure." He was off before Katie could protest and back with the nurse beside him. Standing at the foot of the bed, Oliver waited for Madam Promfrey to begin the examination. Instead of beginning, the nurse stared at Oliver.

"Would you mind vacating the premises, Mr. Wood?" Confused, Oliver furrowed his brow.

"There are parts of the examination that I'm sure Miss. Bell wouldn't appreciate you being present for." Taking the hint, Oliver turned towards the door and slowly made his way out of the room. Entering the hall, he found several members of the Gryffidor Qudditch team.

"How is she?"Angelina was the first to question him. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"She's awake; Promfrey's checking her now." The team visibly relaxed, most of them were leaned back against the stone wall, as they had been when he entered the hall.

"Good. Should we go back to practice?" Fred asked Angelina. She shook her head and took a deep breath.

"No, we've had enough excitement for today. Let's head back to the common room." She announced to the team. Before she left, she turned back to Oliver and asked, "You'll keep us posted?" He just nodded and watched them leave. After several more minutes of waiting, Madame Promfrey opened the door to the Infirmary.

"You may come back in now, Mr. Wood." Following her back into the large room, Oliver headed straight for Katie's bed, where she was sitting with her legs hanging over the side.

"You okay?" Worry was apparent in his voice, but he didn't care. He had to know that she was okay. A simple nod was all it took to set his mind to rest. Making sure that he didn't jar her, he sat next to her on the bed.

"Katie—" Oliver stared into her eyes, hoping that she would hear him out, "I—I was a jerk earlier and—" Katie shushed him with a finger to his lips and smiled again.

"Oliver, you talk too much." A blush was covering her cheeks, when she leaned over and replaced her finger with her lips. It was his turn to be shocked; her lips were soft and willing, completely different from the first time he kissed her. Went she bit his bottom lip, Oliver nearly jumped off the bed, instead he took Katie's head in his hands and gained control of the kiss. Desire was hot and electric around them, and Oliver was instantly aroused. Leaning to the right, he dipped his head to the right and ran his tongue over Katie's lips. Her gasp gave him the opportunity to take the kiss to the next level by slipping his tongue into her mouth to taste her—really taste her.

The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted them, causing Oliver to hesitantly pulled away. Katie sat stunned on the bed, until she glanced up to see the stern face of Madam Promfrey.

"Well, dear, it seems that you bounce back quickly," she chided, causing Katie to blush with embarrassment, "The potion is ready for you to drink." Pointing to the large mug on the bedside table, Promfrey waited for Katie to reach for the mug. "Mr. Wood, may I speak with you?" Standing up and following her into the small office in the corner of the room, Oliver knew he was in for a famous Madam Promfrey scolding. He'd had many before, but now that he was no longer a student, it seemed ten times worse. Closing the door behind him, he waited for the older woman to begin. He wasn't disappointed when she launched into her speech.

"I realize that you are an adult and no longer a student at this school, but I must warn you. You are playing a dangerous game, getting involved with a student in that way. Especially when you are not only here for a short time, but when you are here on business. What would your manager say when you give him Katie's name for a possible player, and then he finds out that you're involved with her? Would he think that she was messing around with you, just so she could get on the team?" She had always been fiercely protective of Katie, Oliver didn't have a clue as to why, but her words cut him deep.

"If his mind came around to that, he'd only have to see Katie play. Then he would know that she is as good as I tell him she is." His anger was coming out, making him strike out blind and speak before he thought. "Poppy," He used her first name, considering they were both adults, "I will take care of her. If I have to send my report to another team, I will. She's a brilliant player, there's no team that wouldn't take her." With his fist curled in front of him, he stood as still as a statue, waiting for the next attack. Poppy sighed.

"It's not her professional future that I'm worried about, Oliver. I've seen her play. It's her heart that I'm worried about." The concern for Katie was vibrant in her eyes, causing Oliver's gut to coil with guilt. "She's had a rough life, with many emotional injuries. I don't want her to get hurt even more. That's all." Years and age showed on Madam Promfrey's when she neared him, ran her hand up his arm and patted his shoulder. Swallowing back the shock that ran through his body, Oliver looked deep into Poppy's eyes.

"I would never hurt Katie." His plea was earnest, but the lady just shook her head.

"Never intentionally, Oliver, but sometimes the people that we hurt the worst are the ones that we love." A grim smile formed on her face, and Oliver returned the smile, but his heart wasn't in it. They both knew it, too. Their heart-felt talk was over, but before Oliver turned to leave, he embraced the nurse.

"I'll take care of her, Poppy." Although his hands were sweating, he opened the door and headed over to a sleeping Katie. A serene calm was on her face, making her look more like a doll than a real-life person. The room was dark, the sun had set almost an hour ago, with soft light coming from scattered candles around the room. A scent of hazelnut and cinnamon hung in the air, a fragrance that Oliver would always associate with the Imfirmary. Fresh white linens had been placed on the numerable beds in the room, the only one occupied was the one Katie was now sleeping on.

"I put some sleeping drought in the healing potion I gave her. That way she won't feel too much pain." Poppy had begun cleaning the room again, for she was a stickler for cleanliness, not only when dealing with a patient, but always. The chair next to Katie's bed beckoned him to sit down, and feeling the weight of the day pulling down on him, he gave in to the temptation. Worries trampled through his brain, keeping him from any kind of relaxation.

Seeing Katie falling through the air had stayed in his mind the entire evening, making him sick with worry and fear. The injury had not been as bad as it could have been, but he could have lost her. His heart was heavy with the thought. Dropping his head to his hands, which were propped on his knees, he stared at the white tile on the floor. So many things had gone wrong in his life, but he didn't have the slightest clue about Katie. The worry had shown in Madam Promfrey's voice when she said Katie had been hurt before. By whom?

Katie moved restlessly in her sleep, causing Oliver to worry. Was she in pain? He moved his chair closer to her bed and held her hand. Her movements calmed, but did not stop completely. Weary, Oliver tried to calm her with his voice.

"Katie. Katie, calm down," his voice was soft, yet loud enough for Katie to hear him. Instead of her head tossing from left to right, it paused somewhere in the middle, listening for his voice. "Katie, you're going to be okay. And when you're better, you and I are going to talk. Not just about Quidditch, either. I'm going to ask you all sorts of questions," He didn't think about what he was saying, he just said what came to him. Leaning in close, he continued his jabber, his mind calming as his tongue loosened.

Katie woke to the sun shining bright across her face. The room was cold, making her shiver as she pushed the blanket away from her arms, the body heat she had saved up over the night drifted into the air, but didn't leave her body completely. A heavy weight was on her stomach, which had suspiciously stayed warm, and when she moved to sit up it wouldn't let her. Glancing around the unfamiliar room, she tried to place herself. The white walls, floors, and sheet glowed around her, shocking her back to the present. The infirmary; she had been knocked off her broom. Her gaze left the room and focused on the furry head that was laying on her stomach. Oliver. Had he stayed here with her all night? Her stomach muscled tensed as she dropped her head back down to the pillow.

She had kissed him yesterday; a very passionate and mind-numbing kiss if she remembered correctly. A fire burned it's way across her cheek, her blush as hot as the thoughts running through her head. Obviously feeling the tension running through her, Oliver woke quietly. His head raised from its perch on her belly, leaving a hollow feeling behind. When he saw that she was awake, his smile was as bright as the sun coming through the windows.

"Good morning."

Her head was reeling, but she managed a weak reply, "Good morning. Ah, what time is it?" It was Saturday, and she was suppose to be at a morning Quidditch practice. She pushed herself up into a sitting position and tried to swing her legs over the side, but Oliver blocked her path.

"Not so fast," he said, his hand landed on her thigh and stopped all movement. Tingles shot up her legs, from the movement and the heat from Oliver's hand. With big eyes, she watched his movements, swallowing a nervous gulp of air when his hand moved a little higher on her thigh.

Oliver watched as Katie's face paled, his concern overwhelming him.

"Are you okay. Maybe you should lie back down; are you light-headed. Here, lay down." The color was returning to her cheeks, and she fought away his domineering hands with a calm perseverance.

"No, Oliver, I'm fine. It was just, well, ah…" Her face was bright red, as she looked away from him. With shaking hands, Oliver leaned over and brought her face back to his.

"What was it, Katie?" he said, his eyes serious and dark. Something was sparking between them, and both of them were extremely aware of it.

"Well, It's just that when you…" Katie tripped over the words as they came out of her mouth, "When you touch me, Oliver, even if it's just a hand on my shoulder or my leg, well… I just, ah, I just" The door interrupted Katie's confession as it swung open and a herd of people hustled through the door. Most were wearing their warm-up outfits, but there were several that stood out from the throng in muggle clothes.

"Katie-kat! You're awake!" Fred and George were the first to reach her. Fred pushed his way into the small space in between Oliver and Katie, so Katie was now sandwiched him and George. Her head was already spinning, and though she had a snide reply, she kept it to herself.

George grabbed her hand, and her attention, when he spoke. "Well, Katie, you'd don't look half-bad, for taking that kind of fall. Only small black eyes, nothing like the ones that Harry had after his first Quidditch match. Eh, Harry?" They all looked towards the Boy-Who-Lived and watched with interest. His face was red and a small grin fluttered around his mouth; he managed a small nod and reassurance that the injury wasn't nearly as serious as his had been. The group's attention drifted back to Katie when Fred continued his brother's physical assessment.

"And the swelling around your nose isn't nearly as bad as the last one." he said, reminding her of one of their first practices together, when she had been so focused on Oliver and ran into one of the large hoops that served as goal posts. A blush fanned across her cheeks, and she avoided all the queries pointed at her.

She sighed and tried to change the subject. "Yes, thanks for the reminder, Fred. It's so nice of everyone to come visit me, but you didn't have to. I'm all in one piece, as you can see. No worries." The people surrounding her watched as she stood up from the bed and walked across the floor. "In fact, I was just getting ready to leave, so if you all don't mind, I'm going to do so now. I'll find you in the common room later, okay?" she said, hoping they would take the blunt hint and leave. Having them here had made her feel like an animal in the zoo that everyone gawked at, and she didn't enjoy that feeling at all.

"Well, we'd better get going to practice, team. Come on, let's go." Angelina, the wise one of the bunch, gathered the group and hustled them out the door. Before the exited the room she turned back to Katie and said, "Don't worry about coming to practice for a day or two, okay? We want you in good form when you come back." Angie's back was stiff and straight, producing the air of authority that Katie rarely argued with. The captain left the room without waiting for Katie's answer, leaving Oliver alone with Katie.

Watching her with a wary gaze, Oliver sat down on the bed once again and watched as she began to pace. When she neared the bed, he reached out, caught her hand, and pulled her over to him. She came reluctantly, but was complacent enough to take a steady stance in between his knees. His hands rested on her hips, and her head was lowered, with a faint blush on her cheeks. Studying her face, he realized that he had never really looked at her face. Yes, he had seen it almost every day for six years, but he had never really looked at it. She had a dimple at the corner of her mouth, freckles across the bridge of her nose, long pale eyelashes, and a tiny, but very visible, scar just above her right eyebrow. How had she received that one, he wondered, and found that he not only wanted to know that, but everything else about her. And that was what scared him the most.


	6. Most Fortunate Calamities Chapter 6

She swore that he was going to kiss her again, and even though his face was only inches from hers, he never came any closer. Relief, disappointment, and confusion had warred in her body. Never before had these feelings been so strong-- and present at the same time. Now, as she dressed herself behind the screen that surrounded her bed, she felt so enclosed, once again like an animal in the zoo had to feel. Anxiety shifted through her body, until she could no longer breathe normally. She had to get out, and soon.

With her clothes finally on, she sped towards the door, hoping to make a clean break. The door was open to the Infirmary, letting her sail out into the corridor and down to the ground floor. Without thinking, Katie moved through the castle with ease and speed, until she was outside the large wooden entrance. The wind was slightly blowing, tossing her unbound hair into her face, but it didn't slow her down. Nothing could slow her down now.

Her mind ran from one thought to another, wishing that Oliver had kissed her again to remembering the way his lips had felt on hers. There was an element to him that she just couldn't get past. When she was with him, that's all she thought about was him. Nothing else could penetrate her rambling mind when he was around. That was the problem, she thought as her shoes raked along the top of the gravel walkway, she couldn't get him out of her head. She needed to clear her head, get away for a while.

On instinct, her feet carried her down the path to the lake side. She loved the large, old trees surrounding the area she passed through, along with the lush green grass, the lull of the water, and, best of all, the fact that no one ever knew where to find her. Nearing an elderly oak, she jumped into the air and grabbed onto the branch just above her head to pull herself up into the tree. She had first discovered the tree in her first year, when she had run away after receiving a howler from her mom. It had been the first day of classes, which she had thoroughly enjoyed, when the owl had found her in her dormitory. This tree had become her sanctuary over the years.

She came here now to get away from the feelings flowing through her, but they just wouldn't stop. Her feelings for Oliver had been bottled up for so long, for he had been out of reach since she first met him. Katie remembered the first time she felt that spark for him, she had been thirteen, trying out for the Quidditch team and he had been the keeper. She closed her eyes and let the memory overtake her.

He had flown through the air like a bird, moving with the slightest touch. The wind had blown through his hair, which had been quite long back then, and he had winked at her as she headed towards him with the quaffle. She'd fallen off her broom and would have fallen on her head, if he hadn't flown down and caught her. The captain had put her on reserve that year, even though she had managed to make a complete fool of herself.

Even as she sat in the tree, her cheeks heated to a bright red. Katie couldn't believe how stupid and naive she had been; she'd followed him around for months, talking to him about Qudditch plays and manuvers, asking him about himself, and looking at him with stars in her eyes. Of course, Oliver had been oblivious to it all until he had graduated and left Hogwarts, but by then she had repressed most of her feelings for him. There were times that she had found herself daydreaming about him finally realizing his passionate feelings for her and sweeping her off her feet, but it never happened. He went on with his life, never remembering the shy little girl who had idolized him.

Entrenched in her thoughts, Katie didn't notice the body walking underneath her. She was still reminiscing when a bird flew into the tree above her, startling her out of her thoughts as well as her balance. Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head, as her body weight leaned to one side of the branch she was sitting on. Shrieking, her arms reached out for something to grab, but nothing came to her fingertips. Falling through the air, she noticed a dark figure in the corner of her eyes, before she squeezed them shut. Her body was stiff as she hit the ground-- hard. A muffled groan vibrated her beneath her, making her body stiffen even more. She let one eye open, as her hand roamed over the surface beneath her. It wasn't hard dirt beneath her fingers, but a warm, fuzzy surface. She lifted her head up a few inches to find a set of deep, very familiar, brown eyes gazing into hers.

"Well, it seems that we find ourselves in this predicament yet again." His eyes weren't exactly twinkling with amusement, but he had a brilliant smile on his face. A blush flattered Katie's face, as she pushed herself off of him.

"Oh. I'm so sorry. I didn't know that anyone was down here-- I was-- I usually come here--What were you doing here? She crawled across the grass, backing as far away from him as possible.

"I used to come here all the time. To think, usually." Oliver pushed himself up onto his elbows, drinking in Katie's disheveled appearance. She was leaning against the trunk of the tree, her head cocked to the side and her eyes were closed. There was a little bit of color in her cheeks, but she was too still for his comfort. He jumped up and moved to her in a blink of an eye, his hands embracing her cheeks.

"Katie. Katie. Are you okay?" He moved her head back towards him, waiting for her to open her eyes. With a slight nod of the head, Katie watched emotions flit through Oliver's eyes.

"Are _you_ okay?" She asked in return.

Oliver smiled at her question and replied, "Only you would ask me that." He rested his forehead against hers and chuckled, making her smile as well. "Most girls would be crying on my shoulder right now, but not you. Not you." His expression turned serious, and he studied her face. He rubbed a smudge of dirt from her cheek and watched her smile widen.

"Well, I'm not like most girls, or so I've been told."

"No. No, you're definitely one of a kind." He leaned in closer to her, letting her make the final decision to make contact. Katie hesitated for a moment before leaning into Oliver's body and lifting her lips to his. Relief flooded through him and groaned as her arms moved around his shoulders and brought them even closer. Oliver moved to deepen the kiss, but was interrupted by a scandalized voice.

"Mr. Wood. Miss. Bell." Oliver moved away from Katie, letting her drop back towards the tree behind her. She grimaced as the back of her head connected with the trunk, which brought Oliver back over to her.

"Ah. Katie. Are you okay? I'm sorry." He gingerly probed her head looking for any sign of blood or injury. Katie pushed his hands away, giving him a disgruntled look.

"I'm fine. Oliver," she said, with a bit more force, "I'm fine." Katie pushed herself up off the ground, to meet the annoyed stance of Minerva McGonnagal. Oliver stood up behind her, placing an arm around Katie's waist to hold her upright.

"Hello, Minerva." Oliver said, tightening his grip on Katie.

"Mr. Wood. I'll remind you that you are a visitor here, no longer a student to do as you please. Miss. Bell is, however, and I'd hope you, of all people, would have enough sense of decorum to avoid a scandal while you're here." McGonnagal's disapproval of their relationship was not a surprise to Oliver, since he had experienced the same discussion with Poppy the day before.

He let out a small sigh before he replied, "There won't be a scandal, Minerva. It's different with Katie." Minerva's eyes filled with worry.

"Oliver, I'm well aware of your record with the opposite sex during your years at Hogwarts. What makes you think that Katie will be any different?" Katie's body went stiff at the comment, waiting for Oliver's answer. His anger was beginning to show, making it harder to control.

"It _is_ different, Minerva." His teeth were clenched together, making his jaw hard.

McGonnagal shook her head, and sighed, "Oliver, I'm just asking you to think of Katie. What will she do when you move on?" She asked, as if Katie wasn't even there.

"I would never hurt her. I swear it, Minerva." His grip tightened for just a moment before he continued, "I love her."


	7. Most Fortunate Calamities Chapter 7

Laying in her bed, Katie stared at the folds in the curtains hanging above her. Oliver's declaration of love was replaying over and over in her head. _I love her._ He had practically shouted it, and what had she done? She'd run away like a scared little mouse; her heart hammering away in her chest. There had never been a time that she had felt so scared and vulnerable. Did she love him, too? How did he know? Was it really love? What was love? Katie let out a loud sigh, bringing the focus of the group of noisy girls in her dorm to her.

"What's the matter with her?" Angelina asked, walking past Alicia's bed with her arms full of clothing. Alicia, who was sitting on her bed painting her toenails a bright pink, shrugged her shoulders and looked over at the forlorn form who had rolled away from the group.

"She's mooning over Oliver." The accurate guess stabbed at Katie's heart. How could she be mooning over somebody, if she didn't know how she felt about him? She liked him, that was for sure, but love?

Seeing her friend in such distress, Angelina sat down on the bed next to Katie's back. Trying to help her friend, Angelina patted Katie's shoulder, making her turn to face the friend behind her.

With a questioning glance, Angelina asked, "Do you want to talk about it?" Talk about it? Katie wanted to yell and scream about it, but she couldn't gather the courage to. When her answer was a shake of a blond head, Angelina patted Katie's shoulder once again and left to take care of the stack of clothes on her bed.

She avoided Oliver, and any thoughts of him, the rest of the week; pushing herself hard during practices, so she wouldn't notice him in the stands and never leaving the safety of her group of friends. He would try to catch her on the way back to the castle from the Quidditch pitch or when she was walking down the huge castle hallways, but she always found an excuse to run away.

Now was not the time to loose focus she told herself; it was her last year at Hogwarts. She couldn't afford to let herself weaken for one minute. Becoming independent was her number one goal, besides playing professional Quidditch of course, but she figured those two went hand in hand. Oliver was not serious about her or any other girl, he never had been. Sure he loved her, they had been friends for a long time, but... But. She was more than deeply involved with Oliver; she was just too scared to admit it.

Sighing, Katie turned the last corner on her way to the Gryffindor common room. Maybe she took the corner too quickly or maybe she was still thinking of Oliver, but instead of coming to the Fat Lady's portrait, her head came in contact with a black wool sweater. Before she could stop it, her body crashed to the floor, lying on top of another body. A hard masculine, that was too familiar to mistake for anyone else but Oliver. Katie knew she was in trouble the moment his hand touched her elbow. Trying to get away from him as quickly as possible, she awkwardly tried to maneuver her way off him.

"Woah." Oliver soothed in his deep voice, his grip tightening on her arm. She stilled immediately, finally realizing their predicament.

More worried about her than what someone else might be viewing, Oliver tried to look down at her.

"Are you okay, Katie?" He asked, to the top of her head, the rest of it being buried in his sweater. Nodding her head slightly, Katie made another move to get off of him, while Oliver started checking her for broken bones.

"Are you sure? Half the time you don't start feeling the pain until the next day." He continued to pat her down, making the situation more awkward. "Just let me check..."

"Oliver. Katie." Two scandalized voices echoed off the walls of the hallway above them. Both bodies froze on the floor, with Oliver's hand reaching below Katie's waist, and Katie straddling Oliver's upper thighs, while Angelina and Alicia stood over them.

"Well, when we told Katie to give in, we didn't think it would be quite so soon." Angelina started.

"Or so public. Get a room." Alicia finished in disgust. She shook her head, grabbed Angelina's arm and stepped over the sprawled bodies. "Come on, Ang. Best to let the lovers... love." With that remark, the duo made their way down the hallway, away from the scene behind them.

Taking advantage of Oliver's frozen position, Katie jumped away from him to stand up, her cheeks blazing red. It wasn't long until Oliver was standing next to her. She turned to walk past him into the dormitory, but stumbled over something after a few steps.

"Katie." His hands reached to grab her before she fell and never left. She instinctively took a step away from him, making him blush and look away. His hands dropped away from her shoulders and into the pockets of his blue jeans. The bag she'd stumbled over sat near his feet, like an anchor ready to be pulled up.

"You're leaving," Katie said, staring at the bag on the floor. She didn't dare move a muscle, for fear of projecting herself into his arms.

"Well, I did what I came here to do," he said, "And since there's really nothing here to keep me, it's about time that I left." Katie's eyes jumped to his, while her heart plummeted. Tears sprung to her eyes, making her curse the pheromones racing through her body.

"No, I suppose there's not." Oliver bent down to pick up the bag from the floor, making Katie go into full panic mode. He really was leaving. And she wouldn't let herself do anything about it. The feelings she was feeling for him were just a young girl's crush that had stayed in her mind for years, at least that's what she told herself as he started talking.

"I wanted to say goodbye to you. I'm headed to Durmstrang tomorrow, then I'll be heading back to start practicing before the season starts. Katie," he paused, lifting his hand to caress her cheek, "I do love you." Tears formed in her eyes, and she turned her head away. Oliver cupped her chin and brought her lips to his. The kiss was gentle and sweet, making the tears overflow from Katie's eyes. Oliver pulled back, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"Katie-" Oliver started, but was cut off when Katie flung her arms around his neck and pressed her lips back to his. She didn't care if anyone saw them, she knew that she couldn't let Oliver leave without knowing how she felt. It was like a dam breaking inside her. She loved him. She _loved_ him.

Pushing her body up against his, Katie tried to get as close to him as possible. Oliver sensed the change in her, and his body responded, making him take the kiss deeper; his arms embraced her waist, dragging her even closer, his head tilted to the right, and his tongue pressed for entrance to her mouth.

Unlike the first time they had kissed, Katie let Oliver drag her deeper and deeper into the kiss. She sighed as his body reacted to the kiss. There was no hesitation, when she ran her hands through his hair and met his tongue with hers.

Knowing he was loosing control, Oliver pulled back from Katie's tender mouth. Leaning his head against hers, he attempted to catch his breath.

"God, Katie," he said, his breathing still ragged, "I hope that means that you'll miss me." Her radiant smile and laughter lightened his once aching heart. Her answer was to bring his lips back down to hers. Giggles sounded behind them when Oliver's lips touched Katie's, making him reluctantly pull away. Peeking around Oliver's shoulder, Katie saw a gaggle of first year girls standing in the hall that Katie and Oliver were blocking.

"It's so romantic." One sighed, as the others continued to stare with starry eyes and smiles.


End file.
